Mykolas Alekna

Mykolas Alekna (born 28 September 2002)[1] is a Lithuanian athlete who specializes in the discus throw. At the age of 19, he won the silver medal at the 2022 World Championships, becoming the youngest world discus medallist in history. Alekna was then the youngest ever winner in his discipline at the 2022 European Championships, setting the competition record in the process.[2][3]

Mykolas Alekna
Alekna at the 2022 BAUHAUS-galan meet in Stockholm
Personal information
NationalityLithuanian
Born (2002-09-28) 28 September 2002
Height1.94 m (6 ft 4+1⁄2 in)
Sport
CountryLithuania
SportAthletics
Event(s)Discus throw
College teamCalifornia Golden Bears
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)Discus throw: 69.81 (2022)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Lithuania
World Championships
Silver medal – second place2022 EugeneDiscus throw
European Championships
Gold medal – first place2022 MunichDiscus throw
World U20 Championships
Gold medal – first place2021 NairobiDiscus throw
European U20 Championships
Gold medal – first place2021 TallinnDiscus throw

In 2021, he was the World Under-20 and European U20 champion.[4][5][6]

Mykolas is the son of Olympic double discus throw champion Virgilijus Alekna.[7] His brother Martynas Alekna is also a discus thrower.

Career

In June 2022, the then 19-year-old threw his career-best of 69.81 m while finishing second at the Stockholm Diamond League meet, the longest ever discus throw by a teenager. At the 2022 World Championships held in Eugene, Oregon in July, he lost only to Kristjan Čeh, becoming the youngest world discus medallist in history.[2] Less than a month later at the European Championships Munich 2022, he became the first teenager to win a medal in the discus throw, let alone the gold, beating Čeh and all three medallists from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. His father had won this title 16 years earlier.[8][3]

International competitions
Representing  Lithuania
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
2019 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival Baku, Azerbaijan 9th Discus throw (1.5 kg) 54.13 m
2021 European U20 Championships Tallinn, Estonia 1st Discus throw (1.75 kg) 68.00 m
World U20 Championships Nairobi, Kenya 1st Discus throw (1.75 kg) 69.81 m
2022 World Championships Eugene, OR, United States 2nd Discus throw 69.27 m
European Championships Munich, Germany 1st Discus throw 69.78 m CR

References
  1. "Mykolas ALEKNA – Athlete Profile". World Athletics. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  2. Faraudo, Jeff (20 July 2022). "World T&F Championships: Cal's Mykolas Alekna Wins Silver in Discus at Age 19". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  3. "In focus | A closer look at Rising Stars Tzengko and Alekna". European Athletics. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  4. "Mykolas Alekna neturi lygių ir pasaulyje – disko metikas Kenijoje nokautavo varžovus pirmuoju metimu". www.lrytas.lt. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  5. "Jau pirmuoju metimu rekordą pagerinęs Mykolas Alekna – pasaulio jaunimo čempionas!". 15min.lt/sportas (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  6. "Pirmu metimu rekordą pagerinęs Mykolas Alekna – pasaulio jaunimo čempionas!". sportas.lt. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  7. Faraudo, Jeff (28 October 2022). "Cal Discus Ace Mykolas Alekna Named Europe's Rising Star for Track and Field". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  8. Crumley, Euan (19 August 2022). "Okoye savours his medal-winning moment". AW. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mykolas Alekna.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.